1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to small watercraft and more particularly, without limitation, to docking equipment for small watercraft.
2. Description of the Related Art
Small watercraft are commonly used by a multitude of people for a variety of purposes including for pleasure, such as boat racing and water skiing, and for recreation, such as fishing or simply cruising along a lake or waterway enjoying the scenery. One of the complications encountered by users of small watercraft occurs during those intervals when the watercraft is not in use and there are no docking facilities for safely securing the watercraft along a shoreline.
For example, if watercraft users are relaxing and eating at a campground along a waterway where there are no docking facilities or only limited docking facilities that have already been taken by other campers, they may be forced to tie their watercraft to a stake driven in the bank of the waterway, or other such makeshift arrangement. Such a procedure would obviously expose the watercraft to undesirable and potentially damaging random and repeated contact with the bank and/or the waterway bottom along the bank of the waterway, such as rocks, etc., which could easily mar or damage the smooth finished surface of the watercraft. This is cause for serious concern because an investment in a small pleasure or fishing boat can range from ten to forty thousand dollars, and fiberglass and paint repairs of watercraft can be very costly. Sometimes, old tires or carpet are left along waterways that can be used to provide some protection for temporarily moored watercraft where docking facilities are unavailable. Unquestionably, such makeshift padding constitutes unsightly clutter and debris, thereby destroying what might otherwise be a pleasing and aesthetic landscape.
The only other alternative that may be available for temporarily mooring a small watercraft is to put the watercraft back on a trailer and pull it completely out of the water; that is, if a trailer is available at that site and if a ramping area is available for accomplishing that objective, and if space is available to park the boat after it has been pulled out of the water. Unfortunately, trailering a boat can be time consuming and a hassle. As a result, even if trailering is a possibility, the stake and rope method may be used to avoid the time and hassle of trailering, which often results in needless and costly damage.
What is needed is a portable, lightweight mooring device for a small watercraft.